


Operation Under

by KrozJr



Series: Victoria Saga [3]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-20 03:27:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20221036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrozJr/pseuds/KrozJr
Summary: Victoria and a few other ex-companions of the Doctor are called in by UNIT to investigate something, but what’ actually occurring is much more serious than anyone would expect.





	Operation Under

**Author's Note:**

> I’m back! Once this story is done, I’ve got plans for the rest of the series, it’s just that this one is the one I’m struggling with. Please stand by.

**Part 1: Unofficial Staffer**

Victoria Harris, formerly Waterfield,  set down the phone. She’d just received an interesting phone call from her old friend Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart. Once he had confirmed that she was the Victoria he’d met, for him, a few years ago (confused, distorted messages had been spread inwardly about some incident in Tibet and the Priest person could vouch that Victoria Waterfield had been there), he asked to meet her at a cafe in 25 minutes. She quickly packed away her dress-making stuff; she was having an apprenticeship and learning to make them. She needed to pack away soon though because her foster parents were coming to stay. She checked her hair as she walked out the door and walked towards her local cafe.

“Ah, Miss Waterfield. Have a seat.” The Brigadier said. Although she had formally changed her name to Harris, Victoria was still fine by being called Waterfield.

“Congratulations on your promotion.” She said. The Brigadier acknowledged this before saying “There are meant to be two other ex-companions here; from eyewitness accounts, they left the Doctor not long before you joined him. Shenanagans at an antique store with your surname was on the same day they reported returning and- ah, there they are! Ben Jackson and Polly Wright, meet Victoria Waterfield and vica versa.”

The two former travellers went up to the Brigadier’s table.

“Now,” the Brigadier continued, “I’ve had Ben briefed, but I’d like you to help us investigate something while I investigate something else. Some sort of electrical company. Can you do that?”

“Yes sir.” Ben said, his navy instincts kicking in automatically. Polly rolled her eyes as the Brigadier left the cafe and the two sat down with Victoria.

“So, Victoria. May I call you Victoria? Victoria, how did you meet the Doctor?” Polly asked. Victoria remembered the traumatic experience and recounted it in not too great detail. Polly immediately apologised for making her upset.

“Anyway, to business. People have been going missing. Now, there’s one case that doesn’t fit in, which doesn’t concern us. But the remaining seven are all- what you laughing at, duchess?” Ben tried to brief the two women. Polly shook her head.

“You’re being too serious. Smile.” Polly said. Ben immediately tried again.

“Anyway, seven people are missing, and I don’t understand why. But UNIT, the thing the Brigadier works for, think it’s aliens.” Ben finished his brief. Victoria, over a coffee that she’d gone and bought mid-brief (much to Ben’s annoyance), seemed in thought.

“Anything else we know?” She asked. 

“Nope.” And the hunt was on.

Deep under the city of London, a soldier from UNIT, sent separately to investigate these IE blokes by the Brigadier, had stumbled off the beaten path and was lost. His light flickered in the stone tunnel. Years later, this tunnel would play a vital role in the failed Cybermen invasion of 2204, but for now it was just an empty carving. A natural cave, deep and dark. Suddenly, there was a scuttling noise.

“Hello? Anyone there?” He called out to the inky blackness. He was met with silence. Slowly, he grabbed his rifle and armed it. His head torch illuminated a shape for a moment and he jumped.

“Jesus Christ, what was that?” He exclaimed!

Victoria, Ben, and Polly all walked down the dingy street. A lamp flickered in the darkness. It was winter; night had fallen quickly.

“So, this is where the most recent victim was last seen, yes?” Victoria asked.

“Yes, precisely.” Ben said, his eyes scanning the street. They’d come at the same time as the people had last been seen as well.

“What do you think it is?” Victoria asked, her breath creating small puffs in the cold night London air.

“No idea.” Polly said quietly. Somewhere far off, there was a clanging. The light flickered continuously. Victoria became uneasy.

“Something’s not quite right here. I don’t know what, but something’s not right.” Victoria said, her voice falling to a whisper because she thought she was being watched.

“I have a similar feeling. Something’s off. Something’s wrong.” Polly said. She turned to Ben, and was about to ask him what he thought. But the words were never more than a small cloud in the air, as Ben was gone.

“Hello, Lethbridge-Stewart, how may I help?” Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart said into the phone. His moustache bristled slightly as he scanned the room. He didn’t have time for this.

“Well, you see,” Victoria said, speaking into the radio, “Ben’s disappeared. He was right next to us, and he’s now gone.” There was a pause on the other end of the line.

“Hmm, yes, I see. Well, I’m quite busy right now, but I’ll send over someone when I can.” The Brigadier sighed. The radio disconnected. Victoria rolled her eyes as Polly came over.

“Any luck?” She asked. The two ladies, despite having only met recently, were fast becoming thick as thieves.

“No. You?” Victoria responded, subconsciously smoothing out her skirt.

“Yeah, I think. Come and see.” Polly requested, and so the two made their way over to a sewer entrance.

The two lowered themselves down into the dark, dingy tunnels below London. The floor was covered in a thin layer of dingy, polluted water which splashed beneath their feet. Polly turned on her torch as Victoria turned around to survey the situation. Suddenly, there were footsteps from a side tunnel. Out came a half-crazed, bedraggled UNIT soldier.

“They’re… they’re MASSIVE!” They’ll kill us all, I swear!” He rambled semi-incoherently. Victoria looked around, concerned, before turning her gaze to the man.

“What are they?” She asked. A simple question. The soldier suddenly started breathing heavily. His eyes widened.

“L- l- l- look behind y- you!” He stuttered, petrified. The two ladies slowly turned, and came face to face with an astonishing sight. A large body, ten feet tall at least, with two glowing eyes.

“It’s… horrible!” Victoria shouted as the creature growled, claws snapping. The three edged away.

“What is it?” Victoria asked. Polly was still in shock.

“But how are they here?” She asked rhetorically. Polly noticed Victoria’s quizzical look, before clearing it up.

“I’ve met them before. They’re giant crabs, called Macra. And they’re incredibly dangerous.” She said. There was a moment of silence, and then another growl, another snap, another creature in the dark. They were surrounded.

**Next Time: A Sailor Among Sea Creatures**


End file.
